Motion triggered gated imaging

ABSTRACT

In one example, a digital image capture unit comprises a gated image sensor configured to operate multiple sensor exposure events per a single image frame readout. The digital image capture unit further comprises a motion monitor configured to monitor motion related to the digital image capture unit. The digital image capture unit further comprises a controller configured to instruct the gated image sensor to discard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events in response to a temporally corresponding monitored motion related to the digital image capture unit failing to meet a motion requirement.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/252,194, filed Aug. 30, 2016, which isincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Digital cameras may need extended exposure times e.g. in low lightconditions. Extended exposure times are prone to camera movement, suchas hand-shaking motion. This camera movement can be partiallycompensated for by an optical image stabilization system. In someinstances, the camera movement compensation by the optical imagestabilization system may have limitations which make capturing sharp,well-exposed images with a hand-held device in low light conditionsdifficult or even impossible.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one example, a digital image capture unit comprises a gated imagesensor configured to operate multiple sensor exposure events per asingle image frame readout. The digital image capture unit furthercomprises a motion monitor configured to monitor motion related to thedigital image capture unit. The digital image capture unit furthercomprises a controller configured to instruct the gated image sensor todiscard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure eventsin response to a temporally corresponding monitored motion related tothe digital image capture unit failing to meet a motion requirement.

In another example, a method and an electronic apparatus have beendiscussed along with the features of the digital image capture unit.

Many of the attendant features will be more readily appreciated as thesame becomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present description will be better understood from the followingdetailed description read in light of the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1A is an example block diagram of a digital image capture unit inaccordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 1B is an example block diagram of a digital image capture unit inaccordance with another example embodiment;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate thresholds in accordance with an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 3A-3B are example flow diagrams of methods in accordance withexample embodiments; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of an electronic apparatuscapable of implementing example embodiments described herein.

Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts in theaccompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description provided below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is notintended to represent the only forms in which the present example may beconstructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of theexample and the sequence of operations for constructing and operatingthe example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences maybe accomplished by different examples.

At least some of the disclosed examples may allow motion triggered gatedimaging, for example to enhance image stabilization used in digitalcameras. Accordingly, at least some of the disclosed examples may allowcapturing sharp and well-exposed images with a hand-held digital cameraeven in low light conditions. At least some of the disclosed examplesmay allow eliminating or at least decreasing blur originating fromnon-ideal OIS compensation from the final image due to combininginformation from the gyroscopes and the Hall effect sensors withstorage/reset capability of a gated imaging sensor thereby enabling theuse of image signal fragments in final image formation for which the OISis able to compensate either fully or to an agreeable extent the motionof the digital image capture unit. At least some of the disclosedexamples may allow capturing sharp and well-exposed images with ahand-held digital camera for both video and still images.

FIG. 1A is an example block diagram of a digital image capture unit 100Ain accordance with an example embodiment. The digital image capture unit100A may be employed, for example, in the electronic apparatus 400 ofFIG. 4. However, it should be noted that the digital image capture unit100A may also be employed on a variety of other devices and apparatuses,and therefore, embodiments should not be limited to application ondevices and apparatuses such as the electronic apparatus 400 of FIG. 4.Furthermore, it should be noted that at least some of the elementsdescribed below may not be mandatory and thus some may be omitted incertain embodiments. The digital image capture unit 100A may be includede.g. in a stand-alone digital camera or an integrated digital camerawhich may be still cameras and/or video cameras, and the like.

The digital image capture unit 100A comprises a gated image sensor 110that is configured to operate (e.g. store and/or discard) multiplesensor exposure events per a single image frame readout. The gated imagesensor may be further configured to operate in a global shutter mode inwhich case the sensor exposure events are global sensor exposure events.In an example, the duration of the single image frame readout may be 30milliseconds (ms). The duration of each sensor exposure event is afragment of the duration of the single image frame readout, for examplein the range of microseconds or nanoseconds.

In the global shutter mode, an entire image frame is captured at thesame instant. This is in contrast to e.g. rolling shutter mode in whichdifferent parts (e.g. pixel rows) of an image frame are captured atslightly different times, for example one row after another.

The gated image sensor 110 may include e.g. a charge-coupled device(CCD) sensor or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.A gated CMOS image sensor is also known as GCMOS. One single frame istypically composed from repeating global exposures events. A GCMOS maybe manufactured using e.g. contact image sensor (CIS) technology onnear-infrared (NIR) global shutter platform.

Herein, the term “image frame readout” refers to an event that startswith the shutter opening (or the image frame light accumulationbeginning, in the case of an electronic shutter) and ends with theshutter closing (or the image frame light accumulation finishing, in thecase of an electronic shutter), with no other shutter actuationin-between. As discussed above, a single “image frame readout” maycontain multiple exposure events. In other words, “image frame readout”is the period needed for accumulating or integrating light for an entiresingle image frame, and an exposure event is a temporal segment orsubset of this light accumulation period. This is also illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2B in which s_(open) represents the instant of the shutteropening and s_(close) represents the instant of the shutter closing.These multiple exposure events are controlled or operated with thegating functionality (comprising e.g. one or more logical switches orgates) of the gated image sensor (rather than shutter functionality) bygating the charge generated in the photodiode(s) to either a storagenode or to a reset (i.e. ground) node.

The digital image capture unit 100A further comprises a motion monitor120A that is configured to monitor motion related to the digital imagecapture unit 100A. The motion related to the digital image capture unitmay comprise e.g. motion of an object in a scene to be captured duringthe image frame readout. Alternatively, the motion related to thedigital image capture unit may comprise motion of the digital imagecapture unit, as discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 1B.

The digital image capture unit 100A further comprises a controller 130that is configured to instruct the gated image sensor 110 to discard asensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events in responseto a temporally corresponding monitored motion related to the digitalimage capture unit 100A failing to meet a motion requirement. Here,“temporally corresponding” indicates that a given monitored motionoccurs at the same instant as its corresponding sensor exposure event,as also illustrated e.g. in FIGS. 2A-2B. As discussed above, theduration of each sensor exposure event is a fragment of the duration ofthe single image frame readout, for example in the range of microsecondsor nanoseconds.

FIG. 1B is an example block diagram of a digital image capture unit 100Bin accordance with an example embodiment. The digital image capture unit100B may be employed, for example, in the electronic apparatus 400 ofFIG. 4. However, it should be noted that the digital image capture unit100B may also be employed on a variety of other devices and apparatuses,and therefore, embodiments should not be limited to application ondevices and apparatuses such as the electronic apparatus 400 of FIG. 4.Furthermore, it should be noted that at least some of the elementsdescribed below may not be mandatory and thus some may be omitted incertain embodiments. The digital image capture unit 100B may be includede.g. in a stand-alone digital camera or an integrated digital camerawhich may be still cameras and/or video cameras, and the like.

In the example of FIG. 1B, the functionalities and properties of thegated image sensor 110 and the controller 130 are substantially similarto those of their counterparts in the example of FIG. 1A, so theirdescriptions are not repeated here in detail.

The digital image capture unit 100B further comprises an imagestabilizer 120B (e.g. an optical image stabilizer or OIS) that isconfigured to stabilize image frames by compensating for the monitoredmotion of the digital image capture unit.

The image stabilizer 120B comprises one or more motion sensors 121 thatare configured to detect the motion of the digital image capture unit100B. At least one of the motion sensors may comprise a gyroscope. Themotion of the digital image capture unit 100B may comprise e.g. pitch,yaw and/or roll of the digital image capture unit 100B. The motion ofthe digital image capture unit 100B may be caused e.g. by hand shakingof a user operating the digital image capture unit 100B.

The digital image capture unit 100B further comprises a lens system 140.The image stabilizer 120B further comprises one or more actuators 122that are configured to shift either the gated image sensor 110 or thelens system 140 in order to compensate for the detected motion of thedigital image capture unit 100B. The image stabilizer 120B furthercomprises one or more position feedback sensors 123 that are configuredto measure the movement of the shifted gated image sensor 110 or lenssystem 140. At least one of the position feedback sensors may comprise aHall effect sensor.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1B, the motion requirement may comprise thedifference between the detected motion of the digital image capture unit100B and the measured movement of the shifted gated image sensor 110 orlens system 140 staying below a threshold. Accordingly, the failure tomeet the motion requirement may comprise e.g. the difference between thedetected motion of the digital image capture unit 100B and the measuredmovement of the shifted gated image sensor 110 or lens system 140failing to stay below a threshold. FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate thresholds insuch a case. In FIG. 2A, the dashed line represents a gyroscope signal,and the dotted line represents a Hall effect sensor signal. As can beseen in FIG. 2A, there are temporal segments when the Hall effectsensor(s) 123 lag behind the motion of the digital image capture unit100B detected by gyroscope(s) 121. This lag may be due to e.g.processing logic. In this example, for these segments the differencebetween the detected motion of the digital image capture unit 100B andthe measured movement of the shifted gated image sensor 110 or lenssystem 140 is considered to exceed the threshold. FIG. 2B illustrateshow these temporal segments with lag are discarded by setting a controlvalue to zero, thereby ruling them out of exposure accumulation of thegated image sensor 110. For temporal segments without lag, the controlvalue may be set one, thereby enabling their use in image signalintegration of the gated image sensor 110.

The threshold may be increased over time during the image frame readout.This results in the likelihood of sensor exposure events being discardeddecreasing over time, thereby lessening or removing the risk of havingno non-discarded sensor exposure events at all for the duration of theimage frame readout. Alternatively, it may be determined that at leastfor a given portion of the duration of the image frame readout (e.g. 10ms out of 30 ms) sensor exposure events must not be discarded to avoidhaving no non-discarded sensor exposure events at all for the durationof the image frame readout.

The controller 130 may comprise an image stabilizer driver, such as anOIS driver. The image stabilizer driver may be included in an integratedcircuit.

FIG. 3A is an example flow diagram of a method 300A in accordance withan example embodiment. At operation 301, multiple sensor exposure eventsper a single image frame readout are operated by a gated image sensor ofa digital image capture unit.

At operation 302, motion related to the digital image capture unit ismonitored by a motion monitor of the digital image capture unit. Themotion related to the digital image capture unit may comprise e.g.motion of an object in a scene to be captured during the image framereadout. Alternatively, the motion related to the digital image captureunit may comprise motion of the digital image capture unit, as discussedin more detail with reference to FIG. 3B.

At operation 303, it is determined whether a monitored motion related tothe digital image capture unit meets a motion requirement. If yes, themethod returns to operation 302. Otherwise, the method proceeds tooperation 304.

At operation 304, a controller of the digital image capture unitinstructs the gated image sensor to discard a temporally correspondingsensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events. Thenon-discarded exposure events may then be used in accumulating the finalor actual image signal.

FIG. 3B is an example flow diagram of a method 300B in accordance withan example embodiment. At operation 301, multiple sensor exposure eventsper a single image frame readout are operated by a gated image sensor ofa digital image capture unit.

In the example of FIG. 3B, motion of the digital image capture unit ismonitored, e.g. in order to stabilize image frames by compensating forthe monitored motion of the digital image capture unit. Accordingly, atoperation 302A, motion of the digital image capture unit is detected byat least one motion sensor of the digital image capture unit.

At operation 302B, the gated image sensor or a lens system of thedigital image capture unit is shifted by at least one actuator of thedigital image capture unit in order to compensate for the detectedmotion of the digital image capture unit.

At operation 302C, the compensating movement of the shifted gated imagesensor or lens system caused by the actuator(s) is measured by at leastone position feedback sensor of the digital image capture unit.

At operation 303A, it is determined whether the difference between thedetected motion of the digital image capture unit and the measuredmovement of the shifted gated image sensor or lens system stays below athreshold. If yes, the method returns to operation 302C. Otherwise, themethod proceeds to operation 304. The threshold may be increased overtime during the image frame readout.

At operation 304, a controller of the digital image capture unitinstructs the gated image sensor to discard a temporally correspondingsensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events. Thenon-discarded exposure events may then be used in accumulating the finalor actual image signal.

Operation 301 may be performed e.g. by the gated image sensor 110 ofFIGS. 1A-1B. Operation 302 may be performed e.g. by the motion monitor120A of FIG. 1A. Operations 302A-302C may be performed e.g. by the imagestabilizer 120B of FIG. 1B. More particularly, operation 302A may beperformed e.g. by the motion sensor 121 of FIG. 1B, operation 302B maybe performed e.g. by the actuator 122 of FIG. 1B, and operation 302C maybe performed e.g. by the position feedback sensor 123 of FIG. 1B.Operations 303, 303A and 304 may be performed e.g. by the controller 130of FIGS. 1A-1B.

A gated imaging sensor is a sensor that is capable of gating the chargegenerated in its photodiode to either a storage node or to a reset (i.e.ground) node at very fast intervals. This allows for precise controlover which parts of the signal are used to accumulate the actual imagesignal and which parts are omitted. At least in some of the examplesdisclosed in FIGS. 1-3B, by combining the information from thegyroscopes and the Hall effect sensors with the storage/reset capabilityof a gated imaging sensor it is possible to only use in final imageformation image signal fragments where the OIS is able to compensateeither fully or to an agreeable extent the motion of the digital imagecapture unit. This eliminates blur originating from non-ideal OIScompensation from the final image, resulting in a sharper capture.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic apparatus 400capable of implementing embodiments of the techniques described herein.It should be understood that the electronic apparatus 400 as illustratedand hereinafter described is merely illustrative of one type ofapparatus or an electronic device and should not be taken to limit thescope of the embodiments. As such, it should be appreciated that atleast some of the components described below in connection with theelectronic apparatus 400 may be optional and thus in an exampleembodiment may include more, less or different components than thosedescribed in connection with the example embodiment of FIG. 4. As such,among other examples, the electronic apparatus 400 could be any ofapparatuses incorporating a digital image capture unit. For example, thedevice 400 may be implemented as a smart phone, tablet computer, laptopcomputer, laptop/tablet hybrid, stand-alone digital (still and/or video)camera or the like.

The illustrated electronic apparatus 400 includes a controller or aprocessor 402 (i.e. a signal processor, microprocessor, ASIC, or othercontrol and processing logic circuitry) for performing such tasks assignal coding, data processing, input/output processing, power control,and/or other functions. An operating system 404 controls the allocationand usage of the components of the electronic apparatus 400 and supportfor one or more application programs 406. The application programs 406can include common mobile applications, for instance, telephonyapplications, email applications, calendars, contact managers, webbrowsers, messaging applications, or any other application.

The illustrated electronic apparatus 400 includes one or more memorycomponents, for example, a non-removable memory 408 and/or removablememory 410. The non-removable memory 408 may include RAM, ROM, flashmemory, a hard disk, or other well-known memory storage technologies.The removable memory 410 may include flash memory or smart cards. Theone or more memory components may be used for storing data and/or codefor running the operating system 404 and the applications 406. Exampleof data may include web pages, text, images, sound files, image data,video data, or other data sets to be sent to and/or received from one ormore network servers or other devices via one or more wired or wirelessnetworks. The electronic device 400 may further include a subscriberidentity module (SIM) 412. The SIM 412 typically stores informationelements related to a mobile subscriber. A SIM is well known in GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) communication systems, CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, or with third-generation (3G)wireless communication protocols such as Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA1000, wideband CDMA (WCDMA) andtime division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), or with fourth-generation(4G) wireless communication protocols such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution).The SIM 412 may comprise a virtual SIM. Furthermore, multiple SIMs maybe utilized.

The electronic apparatus 400 can support one or more input devices 420and one or more output devices 430. Examples of the input devices 420may include, but are not limited to, a touchscreen 422 (i.e., capable ofcapturing finger tap inputs, finger gesture inputs, multi-finger tapinputs, multi-finger gesture inputs, or keystroke inputs from a virtualkeyboard or keypad), a microphone 424 (i.e., capable of capturing voiceinput), a camera module 426 (i.e., capable of capturing still pictureimages and/or video images) and a physical keyboard 428. The cameramodule 426 may include the digital image capture unit 100A, 100B ofFIGS. 1A-1B. Examples of the output devices 430 may include, but are notlimited to a speaker 432 and a display 434. Other possible outputdevices (not shown) can include piezoelectric or other haptic outputdevices. Some devices can serve more than one input/output function. Forexample, the touchscreen 422 and the display 434 can be combined into asingle input/output device.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 400 may comprise a wirelessradio(s) 440. The wireless radio(s) 440 can support two-waycommunications between the processor 402 and external devices, as iswell understood in the art. The wireless radio(s) 440 are showngenerically and can include, for example, a cellular modem 442 forcommunicating at long range with the mobile communication network, aWi-Fi radio 444 for communicating at short range with a local wirelessdata network or router, and/or a BLUETOOTH radio 446. The cellular modem442 is typically configured for communication with one or more cellularnetworks, such as a GSM/3G/4G network for data and voice communicationswithin a single cellular network, between cellular networks, or betweenthe mobile device and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The electronic device 400 can further include one or more input/outputports 450, a power supply 452, one or more sensors 454, for example anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, or an infrared proximity sensorfor detecting the orientation or motion of the electronic device 400,and a transceiver 456 (for wirelessly transmitting analog or digitalsignals), and an integrated circuit 460. The illustrated components arenot required or all-inclusive, as any of the components shown can bedeleted and other components can be added. The integrated circuit 460may include the controller 130 of FIGS. 1A-1B.

Computer executable instructions may be provided using anycomputer-readable media that is accessible by computing based devices.Computer-readable media may include, for example, computer storage mediasuch as memory and communications media. Computer storage media, such asmemory includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modulesor the like. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to,RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be usedto store information for access by a computing device. In contrast,communication media may embody computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or the like in a modulated data signal,such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanism. As defined herein,computer storage media does not include communication media. Therefore,a computer storage medium should not be interpreted to be a propagatingsignal per se. Although the computer storage media is shown within thecomputing based devices it will be appreciated that the storage may bedistributed or located remotely and accessed via a network or othercommunication link, for example by using a communication interface.

At least some of the examples disclosed in FIGS. 1-4 are able to providemotion triggered gated imaging, for example to enhance imagestabilization used in digital cameras. At least some of the examplesdisclosed in FIGS. 1-4 are able to provide capturing sharp andwell-exposed images with a hand-held digital camera even in low lightconditions.

An embodiment of a digital image capture unit comprises a gated imagesensor configured to operate multiple sensor exposure events per asingle image frame readout; a motion monitor configured to monitormotion related to the digital image capture unit; and a controllerconfigured to instruct the gated image sensor to discard a sensorexposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events in response to atemporally corresponding monitored motion related to the digital imagecapture unit failing to meet a motion requirement.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion related to the digital image capture unitcomprises motion of an object in a scene to be captured during the imageframe readout.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion related to the digital image capture unitcomprises motion of the digital image capture unit.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion monitor comprises an image stabilizer configuredto stabilize image frames by compensating for the monitored motion ofthe digital image capture unit.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the image stabilizer comprises at least one motion sensorconfigured to detect the motion of the digital image capture unit.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, at least one motion sensor comprises a gyroscope.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the digital image capture unit further comprises a lenssystem, and the image stabilizer further comprises at least one actuatorconfigured to shift one of the gated image sensor and the lens system inorder to compensate for the detected motion of the digital image captureunit; and at least one position feedback sensor configured to measurethe movement of the shifted one of the gated image sensor and the lenssystem.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, at least one position feedback sensor comprises a Halleffect sensor.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion requirement comprises the difference between thedetected motion of the digital image capture unit and the measuredmovement of the shifted one of the gated image sensor and the lenssystem staying below a threshold.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the threshold is increased over time during the image framereadout.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the controller comprises an image stabilizer driver.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the gated image sensor is further configured to operate ina global shutter mode.

An embodiment of a method comprises operating, by a gated image sensorof a digital image capture unit, multiple sensor exposure events per asingle image frame readout; monitoring, by a motion monitor of thedigital image capture unit, motion related to the digital image captureunit; and instructing, by a controller of the digital image captureunit, the gated image sensor to discard a sensor exposure event of themultiple sensor exposure events in response to a temporallycorresponding monitored motion related to the digital image capture unitfailing to meet a motion requirement.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion related to the digital image capture unitcomprises motion of an object in a scene to be captured during the imageframe readout.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion related to the digital image capture unitcomprises motion of the digital image capture unit, and the methodfurther comprises stabilizing image frames by compensating for themonitored motion of the digital image capture unit.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the stabilizing of the image frames comprises detecting, byat least one motion sensor of the digital image capture unit, motion ofthe digital image capture unit.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the stabilizing of the image frames further comprisesshifting, by at least one actuator of the digital image capture unit,one of the gated image sensor and a lens system of the digital imagecapture unit in order to compensate for the detected motion of thedigital image capture unit; and measuring, by at least one positionfeedback sensor of the digital image capture unit, the movement of theshifted one of the gated image sensor and the lens system.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the motion requirement comprises the difference between thedetected motion of the digital image capture unit and the measuredmovement of the shifted one of the gated image sensor and the lenssystem staying below a threshold.

In an embodiment, alternatively or in addition to the above describedembodiments, the method further comprises increasing the threshold overtime during the image frame readout.

An embodiment of an electronic apparatus comprises a digital imagecapture unit comprising a gated image sensor configured to operatemultiple sensor exposure events per a single image frame readout; amotion monitor configured to monitor motion related to the digital imagecapture unit; and a controller configured to instruct the gated imagesensor to discard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensorexposure events in response to a temporally corresponding monitoredmotion related to the digital image capture unit failing to meet amotion requirement.

The embodiments illustrated and described herein as well as embodimentsnot specifically described herein but within the scope of aspects of thedisclosure constitute exemplary means for motion triggered gatedimaging. For example, the elements illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B constituteexemplary means for operating multiple sensor exposure events per asingle image frame readout, exemplary means for monitoring motionrelated to a digital image capture unit, and exemplary means forinstructing a gated image sensor to discard a sensor exposure event ofthe multiple sensor exposure events in response to a temporallycorresponding monitored motion related to the digital image capture unitfailing to meet a motion requirement.

The term ‘computer’ or ‘computing-based device’ is used herein to referto any device with processing capability such that it can executeinstructions. Those skilled in the art will realize that such processingcapabilities are incorporated into many different devices and thereforethe terms ‘computer’ and ‘computing-based device’ each include mobiletelephones (including smart phones), tablet computers and many otherdevices.

The processes described herein may be performed by software in machinereadable form on a tangible storage medium e.g. in the form of acomputer program comprising computer program code means adapted toperform all the steps of any of the processes described herein when theprogram is run on a computer and where the computer program may beembodied on a computer readable medium. Examples of tangible storagemedia include disks, thumb drives, memory etc. and do not includepropagated signals. The software can be suitable for execution on aparallel processor or a serial processor such that the method steps maybe carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously.

This acknowledges that software can be a valuable, separately tradablecommodity. It is intended to encompass software, which runs on orcontrols “dumb” or standard hardware, to carry out the desiredfunctions. It is also intended to encompass software which “describes”or defines the configuration of hardware, such as HDL (hardwaredescription language) software, as is used for designing silicon chips,or for configuring universal programmable chips, to carry out desiredfunctions.

Those skilled in the art will realize that storage devices utilized tostore program instructions can be distributed across a network. Forexample, a remote computer may store an example of the process describedas software. A local or terminal computer may access the remote computerand download a part or all of the software to run the program.Alternatively, the local computer may download pieces of the software asneeded, or execute some software instructions at the local terminal andsome at the remote computer (or computer network). Those skilled in theart will also realize that by utilizing conventional techniques known tothose skilled in the art that all, or a portion of the softwareinstructions may be carried out by a dedicated circuit, such as adigital signal processor (DSP), programmable logic array, or the like.

Alternatively, or in addition, the functionality described herein can beperformed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components.For example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardwarelogic components that can be used include Field-programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-a-chip systems(SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

Any range or device value given herein may be extended or alteredwithout losing the effect sought, as will be apparent to the skilledperson.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims, and other equivalent featuresand acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described abovemay relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. Theembodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the statedproblems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits andadvantages. It will further be understood that reference to ‘an’ itemrefers to one or more of those items.

Aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined withaspects of any of the other examples described to form further exampleswithout losing the effect sought.

The term ‘comprising’ is used herein to mean including the blocks orelements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise anexclusive list, and a system, a device or an apparatus may containadditional blocks or elements.

It will be understood that the above description is given by way ofexample only and that various modifications may be made by those skilledin the art. The above specification, examples and data provide acomplete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments.Although various embodiments have been described above with a certaindegree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individualembodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations tothe disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope ofthis specification. In particular, the individual features, elements, orparts described in the context of one example, may be connected in anycombination to any other example also.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A digital image capture unit, comprising: agated image sensor configured to operate multiple sensor exposure eventsthat occur during a single image frame readout, the single image framereadout starting with a shutter opening and ending with the shutterclosing; a lens system; a motion monitor configured to detect motionrelated to the digital image capture unit; an image stabilizerconfigured to shift one of the gated sensor and the lens system tocompensate for the detected motion; and a controller configured to,during the single image frame readout, instruct the gated image sensorto discard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposureevents when a difference between the detected motion and a measuredmovement of the one of the shifted gated image sensor and the shiftedlens system is below a threshold.
 2. The digital image capture unit asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is figured to measure themovement of the one of the shifted gated sensor and the shifted lenssystem during the detected motion.
 3. The digital image capture unit asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the motion related to the digital imagecapture unit comprises motion of the digital image capture unit.
 4. Thedigital image capture unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the imagestabilizer is configured to stabilize image frames based on the one ofthe shifted gated sensor and the shifted lens system.
 5. The digitalimage capture unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the image stabilizercomprises at least one motion sensor configured to detect the motion ofthe digital image capture unit.
 6. The digital image capture unit asclaimed in claim 5, wherein at least one motion sensor comprises agyroscope configured to detect the motion of the digital image captureunit.
 7. The digital image capture unit as claimed in claim 5, whereinthe image stabilizer further comprises at least one position feedbacksensor configured to measure the movement of the one of the shiftedgated image sensor and the shifted lens system.
 8. The digital imagecapture unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one positionfeedback sensor comprises a Hall effect sensor.
 9. The digital imagecapture unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threshold is increasedover time during the image frame readout.
 10. A method, comprising:operating, by a gated image sensor of a digital image capture unit,multiple sensor exposure events that occur during a single image framereadout, the single image frame readout starting with a shutter openingand ending with the shutter closing; detecting, by a motion monitor ofthe digital image capture unit, motion related to the digital imagecapture unit; shifting one of the gated sensor and a lens system of thedigital capture unit to compensate for the detected motion; and duringthe single image frame readout, instructing the gated image sensor todiscard a sensor exposure event of the multiple sensor exposure eventswhen a difference between the detected motion and a measured movement ofthe one of the shifted gated image sensor and the shifted lens system isbelow a threshold.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein themotion related to the digital image capture unit comprises motion of thedigital image capture unit.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 11,wherein the method further comprises stabilizing image frames bycompensating for the detected motion of the digital image capture unitbased on the shifting.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 12, whereinthe stabilizing of the image frames comprises detecting, by at least onemotion sensor of the digital image capture unit, motion of the digitalimage capture unit.
 14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein thestabilizing of the image frames further comprises measuring, by at leastone position feedback sensor of the digital image capture unit, themovement of the shifted one of the gated image sensor and the lenssystem.
 15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprisingincreasing the threshold over time during the image frame readout. 16.One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:operating multiple sensor exposure events of a digital capture unit thatoccur during a single image frame readout, the single image framereadout starting with a shutter opening and ending with the shutterclosing; detecting motion related to the digital image capture unit;shifting one of a gated sensor and a lens system of the digital captureunit to compensate for the detected motion; and instructing, during thesingle image frame readout, the gated image sensor to discard a sensorexposure event of the multiple sensor exposure events when a differencebetween the detected motion and a measured movement of the one of theshifted gated image sensor and the shifted lens system is below athreshold.
 17. The one or more computer-readable storage devices inclaim 16, wherein the motion related to the digital image capture unitcomprises motion of the digital image capture unit.
 18. The one or morecomputer-readable storage devices in claim 16, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the following operation: stabilizing image framesby compensating for the detected motion of the digital image captureunit based on the shifting.
 19. The one or more computer-readablestorage devices in claim 18, wherein the stabilizing of the image framescomprises detecting motion of the digital image capture unit.
 20. Theone or more computer-readable storage devices in claim 19, wherein thestabilizing of the image frames further comprises measuring the movementof the shifted one of the gated image sensor and the lens system.